


Does Your Mother Know

by artificialheart



Series: The Pelican Gang [4]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Bisexuality, Coming Out, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Drama, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Romance, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2019-10-23 05:59:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17677760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artificialheart/pseuds/artificialheart
Summary: Caroline shares some hot gossip with the other moms over a post-work out brunch, which brings about some suspicions. Jodi begins to frets over a few secrets her eldest son has been keeping, while Robin just wants her son to be happy.Abigail finds herself playing advisor to not only Sam and Sebastian, but Alex as well. Sam stresses about the upcoming return of his father, and Sebastian is just trying to figure out how to be a good boyfriend.





	1. Love Isn't Easy

**Author's Note:**

> I meant to hold off on posting this a little longer, but my laptop is currently on its way out, so I thought it'd be best to post this while it's still cooperating. ;)
> 
> Welcome back to my Pelican Gang series! If you haven't read my [previous](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10531908/chapters/23252160) [three](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11495817/chapters/25789050) [stories](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16806373/chapters/39448081), I would highly recommend it, because this story heavily involves the events of those past ones. 
> 
> I'm changing up the format a little bit for this fic; there will be two POVs each chapter, featuring our favourite trio, and their respective mothers. Hope you guys enjoy!

**Caroline**

* * *

Caroline was once young, too.

She knows Abigail finds it hard to believe – all that remains of her younger, wilder days is her green hair – but Caroline still remembers. She remembers the parties she attended, where she’d arrive with one partner and leave with another, the parties where she’d casually dabbled in recreational smoking, and _that_ party, where she’d met Abigail’s father.

Not Pierre. She’d met him in the library, while she was checking out mystery novels, and he was checking out books on capitalism. It was a rather dull first meeting, something that would become a pattern for the rest of their marriage.

Her party days are what led her to make the rule that Abigail hates – no sleepovers with boys, unless Caroline’s there to supervise.

Abigail’s told her time and time again that there’s nothing more than friendship between her, Sebastian, and Sam, but Caroline’s not so sure. The boys don’t seem particularly interested in any of the other single girls in town, and Abigail hasn’t expressed any interest in any other boys, either. It’s crossed her mind more than once that Abigail might have thoughts about fooling around with Sam and Sebastian – possibly at the same time.

Caroline’s had threesomes before; she knows the appeal.

Their sleepovers are, for the most part, fairly uneventful. They order takeout from the Saloon, and hole up in Abby’s room for the rest of the night, playing video games, or with that damned spirit board that Abigail refuses to get rid of. They roll their eyes whenever Caroline pokes her head in the room to check in on them, and she knows there’s jokes made at her expense once she leaves.

* * *

Caroline knocks on Abigail’s bedroom door, for one last check-in with her and the boys before she heads off to bed.

“ _What_ , Mom?” Abigail calls back.

Caroline enters the room. “There’s no need for that tone, Abby – I just came in to see if you needed anything else before bed…” she glances over at Sam and Sebastian, who seem to only have one pillow between the two of them, “boys, I could grab you an extra pillow if you want?”

“We’re fine, thanks,” Sebastian answers.

“Alright then,” she says. It’s a little odd that they’re sharing a pillow - as well as the sleeping bags - but she doesn’t particularly care where they sleep, as long as they’re not in Abby’s bed. “Goodnight.” She gives them all a warm, but stern look as she moves to close the door. “No funny business, Abby.”

“Yoba, Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? We’re not going to have a threesome!”

* * *

This time, as she settles back into bed, she wonders why she never considered that Sam and Sebastian might actually be interested in each other, rather than her daughter.

Caroline doesn’t ask Jodi and Robin outright; as much as she wants to know if Sam and Sebastian are more than friends, she doesn’t want to out the boys entirely. She tries to bring it up casually, instead, hoping that one of the other moms might know more than she does.

“Have you ever noticed how close Sam and Sebastian are?” she asks, as she pours herself a cup of coffee. Jodi and Robin are gathered around her kitchen table, for their post-workout brunch, the way they do every week. “Almost… romantically close, in a way.”

Jodi frowns, stabbing at a piece of pancake with her fork. “Why would you say that?”

Caroline shrugs. “They’re very affectionate for two boys, you know?”

“Sam’s not gay,” Jodi says, firmly, “if that’s what you’re implying.”

“I wasn’t trying to imply anything,” Caroline replies, backtracking quickly. “It was just a thought.”

“Is it the jeans?” Jodi asks, continuing to press the issue, instead of changing the subject like Caroline hoped. “I know, he wears very tight jeans, and Yoba, he spends at least an hour every morning on his hair… but that doesn’t mean he’s gay.”

Robin’s frowning now, too, and as much as Caroline doesn’t want to, she thinks she should bring up the incident that sparked the idea, before her friends think she’s basing this assumption off stereotype alone. “It’s just… they were sharing a sleeping bag at Abby’s sleepover,” she says.

Robin raises an eyebrow. “A single sleeping bag? How’d they manage to cram themselves into that?”

“No, I think they zipped theirs together,” Caroline replies.

Jodi sighs. “They call it a mega-bag. It was cute when they were eleven… but now?” She frowns as she pours another dollop of syrup on to her plate. “To be honest, I thought they were all a bit old to be having a sleepover.”

“It’s nice that they’re all so close still,” Robin comments. “I worry about Sebby getting lonely. He’s always locked away in his room… I’m glad Sam gets him out of the house so often.”

“They were close alright.” Caroline can’t help but let a tiny smile slip. “They were snuggled up right against each other… it was kind of sweet.”

“I don’t know why they insist on sharing beds, they’re definitely too old to be doing that,” Jodi says with a huff. “Sam fell out of bed the other morning after they both tried to fit on one twin-sized mattress, it was ridiculous. We have a perfectly good pull-out couch in the living room!”

Robin laughs. “Sounds like he needs a bigger bed.” She takes a sip of her coffee. “You know I’m always happy to do some free carpentry work for you, Jodi – you and the boys are practically family.”

“Robin, please, no business talk at brunch. You know the rules.” Caroline teases.

“Sam’s bed is just fine,” Jodi assures Robin, but then she sighs again. “Vince is probably going to need a new bed soon, though. He’s just growing so fast! Thank Yoba I saved all of Sam’s old clothes.”

“They’re all growing too fast,” Robin agrees. “I can’t believe Sebby’s going to be twenty-three tomorrow!”

Jodi looks relieved at the change of subject. “Oh, that’s right! Does he have anything special planned?”

“I think he’s driving out to Zuzu with Sam,” Robin replies. “He hasn’t said much about it; I’m not sure.”

Jodi’s frown quickly returns. “Abigail’s not coming with them?”

“Definitely not,” Caroline says, “she’s grounded after that snowman stunt.” Turning to Robin, she asks, “Are they taking his motorcycle? Or are they borrowing Lewis’ truck?”

“They’re probably taking his bike – don’t worry, Jodi, I’ll make sure they wear helmets.”

Jodi, despite Robin’s assurance, continues to look worried. “What are they going to do in the city?”

“Sebby didn’t say,” Robin replies. “Dinner, maybe? They’ll probably go out for sushi.”

Caroline thinks back to the bits and pieces of conversation she'd overheard at dinner that night. “They mentioned something about piercings the other night… honestly, I’m a little relieved that Abby won’t going with them, if that’s what they’re doing. Yoba knows what she’d try to get done… I’ve already let her pierce her ears.”

Jodi purses her lips. “Sam better not be getting any. Earrings on a boy… I’m sorry, Robin, but they just look wrong, don’t they?”

“I’m not a huge fan of Sebby’s piercings,” Robin agrees, “but I don’t really mind earrings; could be worse.” She takes a sip of her coffee, and then smiles. “One time, Demetrius asked him to take all his piercings out before dinner… he came to the table wearing safety pins in all the holes instead.”

Caroline stifles a laugh, while Jodi looks horrified.

“I think Sam’s just tagging along for food,” Robin suggests. “I doubt he’s getting any piercings done.”

“He does wear necklaces, sometimes,” Jodi says, toying with her own necklace. “The sign of Yoba I gave him, sometimes Kent’s old dog tags. I could see him wanting to get his ears pierced… especially if Sebastian’s there to egg him on.”

Caroline thinks that Sam and Sebastian are equally good at encouraging mischief, but unlike Jodi, she has the sense not to verbalize that thought.

Robin sighs. “Sebby’s not a bad kid, he’s just… misunderstood.” She hesitates, and then adds, “They’re both adults. Even if we don’t agree with their choices, we shouldn’t stop them from expressing themselves, you know?”

“Look on the bright side; at least he hasn’t come home with dyed hair yet,” Caroline says, hoping to lighten the mood a little. “I’m always a little nervous whenever Abby decides to have a hair dying party… I thought Sebastian was going to punch something when she ‘accidentally’ dyed his hair pink.”

“Can you imagine Sam with pink hair?” Robin laughs.

Jodi laughs too, though it’s a little uneasy sounding. Quickly, she launches into the story about how she’d been concerned about the unusual, orange-y colour of Vincent’s head when he was born, only to be told by doctors that it was, in fact, his hair. It’s a story they’ve all heard before, but Caroline jumps on the opportunity to move on from the subject of Sam, and Sebastian, and their sexualities.

**Abigail**

* * *

Abigail swears as her cart misses the jump, and drops off the television screen. She sets her controller down, taking a moment to stretch before she restarts the game.

There’s a knock on her bedroom door before she can reach for her controller again. Abigail runs through her mental list of chores, trying to figure out if there’s something she forgot to do before holing away in her bedroom.

“What, mom?” Abigail yells when she hears her mom knock again. “I already did all my chores.”

Her bedroom door opens, and to her surprise, it’s Alex. He steps into the room tentatively, leaving the door open. “Um, hi,” Alex says. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. “Is it alright if I come in? Your dad was distracted with helping Gus in the shop so I, uh, kinda snuck past him.”

Abigail nods. “You wanted to talk right?” She pats the floor next to her. “Sit down. Let’s discuss this over a game of Junimo Cart.”

Alex shuts the door behind him, and then crosses the room to sit next to her. She hands him a controller, and he turns it over in his hands, studying it.

“You’ve played before, right?” Abigail asks, as she restarts the game.

“Not really,” he admits. The match begins, and Alex frowns, mashing buttons on his controller at random.

“Yoba, you’re worse than I am,” Abigail says with a laugh. “Finally, someone I can beat; even Sam kicks my ass at this game!”

Alex crashes his cart, and groans. “Do I get another try?”

“Yeah,” Abigail replies, nodding towards the top left corner of the screen. “You get three, see?” She smirks as she watches Alex out of the corner of her eye, his brow furrowed as he tries to work out the timing on the jumps.

They play in silence for a few minutes, and it’s kind of nice, despite the fact that they’re both terrible players. Abigail was planning on waiting until Alex got into the groove of the game before she starts springing questions on him, but he surprises her by breaking the silence first.

“I think I might be, um… a homo sa-pien?” He sounds the last word out carefully, and Abigail has to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

“I think you mean homosexual,” she politely suggests, and Alex flushes bright red.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, “I just wanted to use, you know… the most correct word? I didn’t want to be rude.” He misses his next jump, and sighs. “I suck.”

“Hey, that’ll come in handy the first time you get in bed with another guy.” She winces as the words come out of her mouth - this is Alex she’s talking to, not Sam or Sebastian. Dick jokes were _not_ the way to go, not when the poor boy had been terrified of even saying the word ‘gay’ a week ago.

To her surprise, he laughs. “Wow. I, uh, wasn’t expecting that when you offered to talk to me.”

Abigail groans, setting her controller down. “That was a stupid joke, I’m sorry. I’ve been spending _way_ too much time with Sam and Sebastian.”

“It’s okay,” Alex assures her. “It’s nice being able to laugh about this stuff.”

She nods enthusiastically. “I know what you mean. It’s like, you spend half your life being scared of anyone finding out who you are, and not even being able to admit it to yourself... and then you find friends you can joke about it with, and it just makes it so, _so_ much easier to accept it.”

“So you’re gay, too?” Alex asks.

“Well, bisexual,” Abigail corrects. “I like girls, but I also like guys, too.”

Alex frowns at her. “Doesn’t everybody like both? That’s what being gay is, right? You like girls, but then you also like guys?”

“Okay wait, hang on… do you also like girls?”

“Yeah? But I like guys, so that means I’m gay. Doesn’t it?” Alex gives her a hopeful look. “Or does that mean I’m not actually gay?”

“Alex, if you like guys _and_ girls that means you’re bisexual,” Abigail explains, patiently, “and if you _only_ like guys, that means you’re homosexual.” It’s a little more complicated than that, but Abigail’s not sure she wants to get into pansexuality, or different gender identities - Alex already looks confused enough.

“Huh,” Alex says, “I never knew there was a word for people who like both.”

Abigail gives him a sympathetic look. “Yeah, school’s pretty fucking useless when it comes to teaching you stuff like this. Obviously it’s far more important that we know that mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.”

Alex groans. “I don’t even know what a mite-oh-con-dria is.”

“Don’t worry about it. The important thing is, now you know you’re bi. Welcome to the club, dude.” she grins at him. “It’ll be nice having someone else to talk about cute guys _and_ girls with.” She’s been getting pretty tired of just listening to Sam and Sebastian gush about one another.

He nods. “Haley talks about cute guys and girls sometimes, but I don’t know if she’s bi?” That’s news to Abigail. “She’s never said anything about it, though. Maybe I should ask her?”

Abigail feels a weird twinge of jealousy at that. She brushes it off - Alex’s been friends with Haley for years, and she already has Sam and Sebastian. So what if Alex wants to talk about this stuff with his other friend? That didn’t mean he couldn’t talk about it with her, too.

“So, is there anyone in town you have your eye on?” she asks. “Girl, guy… supernatural entity?”

Alex shakes his head, though there’s a small smile tugging at the corner of his corner of his mouth. “Not really. There’s just… I don’t, there isn’t really anyone that I can see myself being with, you know?” He frowns, toying with the buttons on his varsity jacket. “Like, more than just a hookup. Marriage, a family… I can’t imagine anyone here wanting that with me.”

“I always thought you and Haley had a thing,” Abigail offers. “Before I thought you were gay, that is.”

“We did, sort of? In high school. It didn’t really work out... we don’t exactly have a lot of common interests,” Alex explains.

“But you guys are still friends?”

Alex nods. “Yeah, we’re still good friends. It’s just if I had a girlfriend… or, um, a boyfriend, I’d want someone who would want to go to gridball games and stuff like that, right? Haley’s not into that kind of stuff.” He hesitates, then gives Abigail a shy smile. “Sometimes, when I’m watching the game, I let her paint my toes.”

She grins back at him. “That’s adorable. Sebastian lets me paint his nails, but only if I use black.” Sebastian probably wouldn’t be too pleased if he found out she told Alex that, but Abigail figures she deserves to have a little fun, _especially_ after taking the fall for their prank.

“So what about you?” Alex asks. “Do you like anyone in town?”

“The new farmer’s kind of cute,” she admits. “Don’t you think?”

“Um, yeah,” Alex agrees. “I haven’t talked to her much, but she brings my grandparents homemade mayonnaise, sometimes.”

Abigail’s a little crestfallen to hear that she’s not the only one the farmer’s been bringing gifts to. “Oh, she brings me amethyst from the mines. I’m kind of jealous; I’ve always wanted to go down there myself.”

“I bet she’s got some nice muscle definition,” Alex muses. “All that farm work, and mining on top of that?” He hesitates, then his eyes widen suddenly. “Sorry, I’m not trying to steal your girl or anything, I promise. I’m not interested in her like that.”

“She’s not my girl,” Abigail assures him with a laugh. “Yet, anyways.” She shifts in her spot, stretching out her legs. It’s tiring enough, keeping Sam and Sebastian’s secret, and she’s not actually sure that she’s ready to come out herself. Then, there was the matter of Shane…

“I think you should go for it.”

“I don’t even know if she likes girls, Alex.” She twirls a strand of purple hair around her finger. “I think I saw her flirting with Shane at the Saloon last Friday.”

“I can be your wingman,” Alex offers. “You can help me figure out this bi stuff, and I’ll help you with the farmer.”

He looks so pleased with himself for coming up with this plan that Abigail can’t help but give in. “Sounds good,” she says with a smile. “You know you still gotta apologize to my friends though, right?”

Alex nods. “Maybe if you came with me, I could talk to them today?”

“I can’t; I’m super fucking grounded,” she groans. “I’m surprised my mom even let you in to visit me. And Sam and Sebastian drove out to the city today, anyways. I dunno when or if they’ll be back tonight.”

“Oh,” he replies. “I didn’t know they could drive.”

“Yeah, Sebastian has a motorcycle.”

Alex frowns as he considers this new information. “Huh. I never would’ve guessed. That’s kinda cool.”

“Well, you could tell him that when you apologize to him,” Abigail suggests. She’s not actually sure that Sebastian would be willing to accept an apology from Alex, but she thinks the look on Sebastian’s face if Alex told him he thought he was cool would be pretty great.

“You said you guys meet up at the Saloon sometimes, right?” Alex asks.

“Right,” she agrees, “so how about I bring you the next time we meet up, when I’m no longer grounded? You don’t have to stick around the whole time, just long enough to apologize.

Alex looks a bit hesitant, but he nods. “That sounds good, I guess.”

“Perfect.” She leans forward, and picks up her controller again. “In the meantime, let’s see how you do with Prairie King.”


	2. Take a Chance On Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jodi opens a letter from her husband, and Sam deals with an uninvited party guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me a while, but Chapter 2 is finally here! It's a lengthy 4.5k, so I hope that helps make up for the long wait between chapters. :)

**Jodi**

* * *

Sam promised he’d be home from Sebastian’s before noon, but he doesn’t return until it’s almost six o’clock in the evening. Jodi hears the front door open as she finishes unpacking the last of her groceries, and judging by the two pairs of shoes she hears, he’s brought Sebastian back with him.

“Thanks for walking me home.” Sam’s voice is loud enough that it carries into the kitchen. She can’t hear what Sebastian says in response, but Sam’s volume lowers considerably after that. “Would you like to stay for dinner?” is the last of their conversation that she catches, and she’s relieved when she hears Sebastian leaving, because she hasn’t even decided what she’s going to make for dinner yet.

“Sam?” she calls out, before he has the chance to retreat to his bedroom. “Can you come to the kitchen and help with dinner, please?”

“Hey Mom,” Sam greets her as he enters the kitchen. “Sorry I got home so late; we were playing Solarian Chronicles and we kinda lost track of time. What are we having for dinner, anyways?”

She hesitates. “Is breakfast for dinner alright? I’m not sure what else to make.” Sam nods enthusiastically in response, and Jodi frowns as a flash of silver catches her eye. “Sam, what’s that?”

“Um, nothing,” Sam answers, tugging the collar of his jacket up higher. “Don’t worry about it.” Despite his efforts to hide it from her, the earring he’s wearing is plainly obvious.

Her eyebrows furrow as she studies it. “When were you going to tell me you got this?”

“I’m twenty-two, mom,” Sam protests. “I don’t have to tell you everything… and it’s only the one ear!”

Jodi sighs. “I know.” She adjusts the well-worn collar of his denim jacket. “You’re all grown up. I remember when this jacket used to be too big for you… You look just like your father in it.” She sighs again, then lets go of the fabric. “You’ll have your own house and your own family someday. You just need to find a nice girl.”

Sam smiles, though it looks strained. “Um, speaking of Dad… have you heard anything?”

“We got a letter a few weeks ago,” Jodi admits, and Sam looks hopeful, “but… I haven’t opened it yet, I just… I can’t open it, Sammy.” She hadn’t been expecting to receive any more letters after the last one, and she was dreading what the unexpected appearance of a new letter could mean.

“Hey.” Sam pulls her into a hug. “It’s okay; we’ll open it together, okay mom?”

It feels a little odd, letting Sam be the one to comfort her, after almost twenty years of her being responsible for comforting him. “Thank you,” she murmurs, rubbing his back a few times, before he lets her go. “Can you start the pancake mix? I’ll go get the letter.”

In the time that it takes Jodi to retrieve the letter from her bedside table, Sam’s managed to mix together the ingredients for the batter without making a mess. She brings the letter over to the kitchen table, where Sam drops into a seat beside her.

“I’ll open it,” he says, taking the envelope from her.

Jodi’s hands are shaking so much that she’s not sure she would have been able to open it herself, anyways.

“The last letter was a good one, maybe this one will be, too,” Sam tries to assure her, as he clumsily tears open the envelope. Sam hadn’t actually read Kent’s last two letters, because Jodi had hidden them away in her closet after she’d read them.

The first one had been the worst - an official notice saying that her husband had gone missing in action. There’d been a long stretch of time with no further news about Kent, and too much news on the television about how their troops were falling by the dozens. The lack of news hadn’t been too hard to explain away - Sam frequently lamented about how long it took for mail orders to come in. Besides, he’d heard the news reports himself - he’d probably realized the chances of his dad returning home were growing slim.

She should have told him when the second one came in - it was short, but it had been good. Kent had written to tell her that he was safe, and would be getting discharged soon. At the time she hadn’t wanted to get Sam’s hopes up - there was still a chance that something could happen to prevent her husband’s return.

But now, as Sam unfolds the letter, Jodi wonders if it might have been better to let him have that brief window of hope. What if it wasn’t good news?

She takes a breath, then leans in closer to read the letter.

_Jodi,_

_Since I'll be coming home soon I want to tell you a few things._

_I might not be the same man you remember. I've seen some things out here that have really shaken me up. I've been having a real hard time relaxing._

_I don't want to scare you or make you upset. I just don't want you to be shocked when I get back._

_Remember, no matter how I act, you and the kids mean everything to me._

_I'll see you soon._

_-_ __Kent_ _

“Dad’s coming back home,” Sam says, although it sounds more like he’s asking a question than stating a fact. “Do you think there was supposed to be another letter? ‘Cause it sounds like he thinks you already know he’s coming back.” He frowns. “Maybe it got lost, and that’s why we haven’t heard from him in so long.”

Jodi tugs at her necklace. She could just let Sam assume the other letters had been lost in the mail - after all, the most important thing was that he knew his dad would be coming home… but was it right to keep all the details from him?

He was a man now, and it was probably best that he know what happened.

“There were a couple other letters, Sammy,” she explains. “Two other letters. I didn’t want you to read them, because I didn’t want you to worry. I just… I wanted you and Vincent to have a good childhood. Kids shouldn’t have to worry about whether their father is going to come home or not.”

“But we just talked about this, Mom,” Sam protests, “I’m not a kid anymore, I can handle it!”

She nods. “You’re right; I’m sorry.”

Sam places his hand over hers. “It’s okay. Dad’s okay, and that’s all that matters, right?” He hesitates for a second. “Do you think I could read them, though?”

“Could it wait for another time?” she asks. “I’ll have to find them; they’re buried away in my closet… I just haven’t had the time to sort it out lately.”

He nods. “Of course.”

Vincent comes plodding into the kitchen at that moment, and Jodi turns to glance at the kitchen clock - she really should have started dinner earlier.

“Is dinner ready yet?” Vincent asks.

“Not yet, buddy,” Sam answers for her, getting up from the table. “Mom’s still gotta cook it. Do you have any homework you need to do? I’ll help you with it, and then after dinner we’ll have all night to play some games!”

Vincent beams up at his older brother. “Okay! It’s math though, so it’s gonna be hard.”

“That’s okay. The important thing is that you get it done, right?” Sam leads him out of the room, leaving Jodi alone in the kitchen again to finish making their dinner.

**Sam**

* * *

Sam isn’t sure how he feels about his dad coming home, yet.

Of course, he’s happy that his dad’s alive. If Sam had been his brother’s age, he probably wouldn’t have slept for the next few weeks out of sheer excitement. Sam’s not actually sure that he will be able to sleep for the next few weeks; but out of fear and anxiety rather than excitement.

His dad didn’t know that he was gay. His dad didn’t know a lot of things about him, actually, having been gone for three years - and that’s not counting all the other times his dad had been away serving in the military. His dad, he hopes, was looking forward to coming home and seeing his family again, even though it was probably going to be really weird and awkward after being apart for so long. His dad, he fears, was no longer going to want to be around Sam once he came out.

Sam’s not stupid. He’s pulled a lot of stupid pranks, and - according to Abigail and Sebastian - told a lot of stupid jokes, but he has common sense. He knows the military isn’t exactly _welcoming_ to gay people, and so he doubts that his dad will be very welcoming, either. He’s not as sure about his mom, but he thinks she might be okay with it - she’s been there for Sam his whole life, whereas his dad’s just stepped in and out throughout it. He’s a lot closer with her for sure, and he’s hoping she’ll still be there for him if his dad decides to emotionally step out on him for good.

He desperately wants to talk to Sebastian about all of this, but doesn’t think that would be a good idea. At least, not right now; they’re having a late birthday celebration with Abigail at the Saloon tonight, and Sam doesn’t want to put a damper on the party.

Sam spots Abigail talking with Alex on his walk over to the Saloon. Sam’s not sure what the two of them are doing together - tonight was supposed to be just the three of them.

“I didn’t bring my note,” he hears Alex tell her, once they reach the steps of the Saloon.

“You won’t need it; a good apology comes from the heart,” Abigail says, and then she shoves him through the door.

Sam quickens his pace to a run - Sebastian is not going to be pleased if Abigail shows up with Alex Mullner in tow. If he can get to the Saloon before Sebastian arrives, he can maybe talk some sense into Abigail.

He bursts into the arcade, where Abigail and Alex are seated on a couch. “Hey, Sam,” Abigail says nonchalantly, as if Alex joining them for pool night was a normal occurrence. “Did you run here?”

Sam frowns at her. “What the fuck, man? You said you were temporarily ungrounded so that you could come celebrate Sebastian’s birthday.” He gestures at Alex. “This is not how Seb would want to celebrate.”

“Bit late for a change of plans now,” Abigail replies, glancing over Sam’s shoulder. Sam turns to see that Sebastian’s arrived, and looks as displeased as he’d expected.

“Um, Happy Birthday,” Alex says to Sebastian, before Sam or Abigail can say anything.

“My birthday was two days ago,” Sebastian informs him. “Abby, can I talk to you please?”

Abigail follows Sebastian back out of the arcade, leaving him alone with Alex.

“Look, I don’t know why Abby brought you here-” Sam begins, but Alex cuts him off.

“I came to apologize, okay?” he begins, getting up from the couch. “I feel really bad about what happened in the spa. I shouldn’t have called you guys that, it’s just… it’s what I used to do when the guys on my team would say that sort of shit to me. I was worried that they’d… you know, that they’d figure out that I’m actually… that like guys, too. So I thought if I joined in with the names, they wouldn’t suspect anything? I know that doesn’t make it okay or anything, I just wanted you to know why I said it, and that I’m sorry. I’d leave you all alone, but I think Abigail might kick my ass if I try to go?”

Sam softens considerably. “The guys on your gridball team used to call you that?”

“Sort of? They kinda used another word. The, uh, other f-word.”

“Oh, sorry dude,” Sam says. “That’s really shitty. And, uh, I’m sorry I was kind of rude, too. I just… get really worked up when people say shit like that to Sebastian. It’s not the first time he’s been called that, you know?”

Alex doesn’t look surprised to hear that. “Yeah,” he says instead. “I mean, I’d be mad, too, if people were calling Haley rude names.”

“You should really apologize to Seb, though,” Sam says. “I appreciate the apology, but I’m not gonna accept it unless he does.”

Abigail returns to the arcade at that moment, with a reluctant-looking Sebastian trailing along behind her. “The birthday boy has agreed to listen to your apology,” she informs Alex. “It took a lot of persuading so you better make it good, Mullner.”

Sebastian folds his arms over his chest, and looks expectantly at Alex. “Well?”

“We should give them some space,” Abigail whispers to Sam, as she gently takes him by the arm, and tugs him towards the main bar.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Sam glances back at Sebastian and Alex over his shoulder. “What if they start a fight?”

Abigail shrugs. “Alex would probably win. Seb’s lost fights before; he’ll be fine.” They take a seat at one of the booths as they wait, and Abigail smiles at him from across the time. “Do you remember the last time he got in a fight at school? You bought him a joja cola to ice his cheek with.”

“I mean, that’s not really a good memory, Abby,” Sam points out. “He ditched the last two periods, and I had to ditch with him to make sure he was okay.”

“I just thought it was sweet,” she protests. “You really care about him.”

“Well yeah, I always have.” He drums the table top with his fingers, and then continues. “He’d have done the same for me, I think. I know he likes to pretend like he’s above having feelings, but he was really sweet this weekend.”

Abigail’s face lights up. “Ooh, what happened? How was his birthday? You sent me that picture and then refused to tell me anything else!”

“Well we got our piercings, went skating for a bit, and then we went back to his place for dinner. I was, um, kinda nervous. You know, about the… piercing.”

Abigail winks. “Right. The piercing. Got it.”

He blushes, but continues, “yeah, so I was really nervous, but he was really nice, and said we didn’t have to do it if I didn’t want to, and he just made me feel really comfortable about the whole thing.”

“Sam that’s so good!” she squeals. He shoots her a look, and she quickly lowers her voice. “So did you...?”

“Um, can we talk about this later?” Sam asks. “I mean I want to tell you, but it’s kind of busy in here…”

“Of course.” She nods. “How about we go and order some food, then?”

They place their usual order with Emily - an extra large pepperoni pizza, a round of beers (with a ginger ale for Sebastian), and then a second, smaller pizza in case Alex ends up joining them.

“So?” Abigail addresses Sebastian, as she enters the arcade with Sam, and four drinks. “Did you guys talk it out?”

“Yes,” is all Sebastian says in response.

“ _And?_ ” Abigail prods.

He sighs. “We had a discussion like the mature adults that we are, I accepted his apology, and nobody got called a twink this time. Happy?”

“Great! Sam and I kinda already ordered food for the four of us, so I’m glad you worked it out.”

“I see that,” Sebastian replies, as Sam hands him his drink. “So he’s staying, then?”

“Do you _want_ him to stay?” Abigail asks. “It’s your birthday.”

Sebastian sets his drink down on the edge of the pool table, then shrugs. “He told me my motorcycle was cool… I guess he can stay. What do you think, Sam?”

“Again, It’s your birthday,” Sam repeats, “but I guess I don’t mind if he stays, either.” He glances over at Alex. “It pretty was cool of you to take the blame for the snowman we made. We probably would’ve been stuck doing community service on Seb’s birthday if you and Abby hadn’t stepped in. So thanks.”

“Yeah,” Alex replies, “it was, uh…”

“It was fucking disgusting,” Abigail finishes for him. “We gutted fish for _hours_.”

Alex takes a sip of his beer. “Yeah. So what did you do for your actual birthday?” he asks Sebastian. “Abigail told me you guys drove up to the city?”

“Got my septum pierced,” Sebastian says.

“Oh, cool,” Alex replies. “Um, what part of the ear is that?”

“It’s his nose,” Abigail explains. “Show us, Seb! I didn’t even get to see a picture of it.”

“He’s not supposed to touch it,” Sam protests, as Sebastian ignores him, adjusting the piercing so that Alex and Abigail can see it.

“Awesome,” she says, and Alex nods even though he doesn’t really look like he agrees.

The conversation drops off as Emily enters the arcade with their pizzas, and they move back to the couches to eat. “Do you like pizza?” Sam asks Alex, as he passes his boyfriend a slice.

“It’s alright,” Alex replies. “I usually try to eat lots of protein - like salmon, and stuff. It’s okay if I take a cheat day once in a while, though… I’d never get to eat any of my grandma’s cookies otherwise.”

Sam eats the rest of his pizza in silence, as Abigail attempts to make some more small talk with Alex. He hadn’t called his own grandmother in a while - not since he started dating Sebastian. Would she even know what being gay meant? Sam’s grandma always seemed happy to hear from him, but he can’t imagine that she’d be very happy to hear about his new boyfriend. She was almost as bad as his mother when it came to dropping hints about all the nice girls Sam should be trying to meet.

Sebastian leans into his side. “Are you okay?” he asks, in a quiet voice.

“I’m fine, dude,” Sam replies with a smile. “Hey, Abby, what should we do next?”

“Well I doubt Alex wants to watch you guys play pool for the rest of the night,” Abigail replies. “Unless you want to play in teams?”

“Nah,” Sebastian says. “Sam might actually win a game, then. Can’t risk letting him have that.” Sam elbows him in the side.

“Well, we could play the arcade machines… ooh, or how about a game of truth or dare? We haven’t played that in a while! I’ll go first, if you guys want.”

“Truth or dare sounds okay,” Alex agrees.

“Alright Abby, I dare you to pull out one of your rocks and eat it in front of the farmer,” Sebastian decides. “Unless you want to chicken out and pick truth?”

Abigail rolls her eyes. “Do you think I just go around carrying rocks in my pocket? You _know_ I like to keep them under my pillow, Seb.” Sebastian raises an eyebrow, and she sighs, reaching into one of her vest pockets to retrieve a handful of small, purple gems. “Do I have to actually eat one?” she asks.

“Maybe just take a bite,” Sam suggests. “My little brother ate a rock once… he did not have a good time.”

“Fine,” Sebastian relents, “you can just take a bite, I guess... but you need to tell the farmer how delicious it is. Tell her it’s the best rock you’ve ever tasted.”

“It’s the only rock I’ve ever tasted,” she protests. Sam exchanges a look with Sebastian, and Abigail sighs again. “Okay fine, it is not the only rock I’ve ever tasted, but the farmer doesn’t need to know that! She’s gonna think I’m some freak who eats rocks… she’ll never ask me out!”

“Or, maybe she’ll bring you more delicious rocks from the mines,” Sam adds helpfully. “You never know!”

“Whatever, she’s probably already in love with Shane, anyways,” Abigail groans. “Wish me luck, I guess.”

They watch from the entrance of the arcade as Abigail makes her way over to the farmer - who’s chatting at the bar with Emily. “Well, the farmer looks pretty weirded out,” Sam comments, as Abigail puts one of the rocks in her mouth, “but Emily looks… kinda into it?”

“That’s because she’s fucking weird, dude,” Sebastian replies. “I bet she believes in all sorts of magical bullshit about rocks. Maybe we should set her up with Abby, instead.”

“She, um, has a girlfriend, actually,” Alex pipes up. “Uh, have you guys ever been to the Calico Desert?” Sam nods. His dad had taken him to the desert a couple of times as a kid - but he pushes those memories to the back of his mind; he really doesn’t want to think about his dad right now. “Her girlfriend lives there,” Alex continues, “I think she runs a store or something? Her name’s Sandy.”

“Huh,” Sebastian says, with a look of interest. “Hey Abby, did you know Emily has a girlfriend?” he asks, as Abigail returns to the arcade.

“Don’t be such a gossip, Seb,” Abigail replies. “You know that’s a dangerous game… speaking of, do you want truth or dare, Alex?”

“Um, dare, I guess,” Alex replies.

Abigail smirks at him. “Hmm, well I dare you to…” she glances back at the main bar “go ask Gus for a shot glass, and a bottle of his special hot sauce. And maybe a glass of milk, depending on how much heat you think you can handle.”

Alex does as he’s told, and returns with the requested shot glass and sauce. Abigail pours the shot for him, and Alex pounds it back. Well, he tries to -  Gus’ hot sauce is pretty thick, and it takes a minute for him to drain the glass.

“Fuck, man.” Alex reaches for his pint glass, and chugs what’s left of his beer. “That’s way worse than licking a rock.”

“If you think that’s bad, the last time I picked dare they made me to lick the joystick on the Prairie King machine,” Sam says. “I was sick for like, three whole weeks after that.”

The four of them turn to look at the machine, and Alex’s brow furrows as he studies it. “Why do all the high-scores say ‘ASS’?” he asks.

“It’s our initials,” Sam explains. “Seb and Abby used to fight over having the top score, so we had to compromise and put all three of our names. Except you can only enter three letters, so…”

“We were fourteen,” Abigail adds, looking a little embarrassed.

“Oh, okay,” Alex says. He turns back to Sam. “Um, truth or dare, Sam?”

“Truth,” Sam decides.

Alex stuffs his hands in the pockets of his varsity jacket, and stares up at the ceiling as he thinks for a moment. “Uh, are you… dating anyone?”

Sam hesitates. Lying seems like a bad idea. Sure, it’s not like Sebastian and Abigail would rat him out - they’d understand why… but what if Alex already knows the truth? He’d still been in the maze when Sam had kissed Sebastian. Maybe he’s already figured out what happened, and is just asking to see if it’s true.

“Yeah,” Sam replies. Alex’s eyes flicker between him and Sebastian, and Sam braces himself for the inevitable ‘so who is it?’, but Alex doesn’t question him any further.

Instead, he nods. “Cool.”

Relieved, Sam quickly diverts the focus to Sebastian. “What about you, Seb? Dare or dare?”

They play a couple more rounds of truth or dare, and Sam sticks to picking dares for the remainder of the game. He’s forced to dump the remaining ice in his drink down the front of his pants, but it’s better than having to field another question about his love life… or go up to Harvey and take a swig of his beer, which Sebastian gets dared to do.

“Well thanks,” Sebastian says to Abigail, once he’s completed his dare, “now I have an appointment with him next Thursday. He wouldn’t put his stupid beer down until I asked him to check if he had any free slots at the clinic.”

Abigail grins. “Hope it was a refreshing sip, then. Maybe it was even the most delicious beer you’ve ever tasted?”

“I fucking hate beer,” Sebastian mutters. “Whose turn is it?”

“I should probably get going, actually,” Alex says, checking the time on his phone. “I don’t usually stay out this late… my grandma’s probably getting worried. Um, thanks for letting me hang out tonight. Maybe I’ll see you guys around some time?”

“Perhaps,” Abigail agrees. She shoots Sam and Sebastian a look.

“I appreciated the apology,” Sam tells him. Sebastian doesn’t say anything, but he nods along. Sam thinks it’ll be a while before Alex gets invited over for a game of Solarian Chronicles, or to sit in on a jam session, the the possibility of having another night at the Saloon was looking good.

Abigail waits until Alex leaves before rounding on the two of them. “So, I think you guys owe me some more date details.”

“You guys owe me some date details.”

“You brought Alex Mullner to my birthday party; I owe you nothing,” Sebastian replies.

“Sam already promised me some earlier,” Abigail informs him. “So tell me everything, Sam... was there any dual-wiener action?”

“Yoba, Abby,” Sebastian groans, “don’t call it that. You’ve just killed all my future boners for the next year.”

“I highly doubt that,” Abigail says. “Also, gross; I don’t want to think about your boners, Seb.”

Sebastian rolls his eyes. “Maybe don’t ask us questions about our sex life, then.”

“So you _do_ have one, and something _did_ happen,” Abigail concludes. “I _knew_ it. You guys are horrible at being subtle, you know that? Nobody has seven sleepovers in a two week period without hooking up at _least_ once.”

“I mean, we didn’t… go all the way, if that’s what you think,” Sam replies. “There was just, uh-”

“Some hand-holding in bed? A chaste kiss on the cheek? A soft hug, perhaps?” Abigail smirks at him. “ _Right_. Got it.” She glances at her phone, and sighs. “Okay, as much as I’d love to stick around and continue teasing you guys, I do actually have to get going. I’m still very grounded, and my dad’s probably going to come looking for me any minute now. Happy belated Birthday, Seb!”

“So, do you want to play a round of pool or something?” Sam asks Sebastian, once the two of them are alone in the arcade.

He shrugs. “Actually, I was thinking we could maybe just head back to my place.”

“That sounds good, except I think Abigail has a point? My mom’s starting to get really suspicious of all the sleepovers we’ve been having... so maybe we shouldn’t.”

“Maybe you could sneak me into your room again?” Sebastian suggests. “I was just thinking there’s a bit more privacy in my bedroom…”

Sam’s got a pretty good idea of what Sebastian wants the extra privacy for, and it’s too good of an offer to turn down. “You’re right,” he agrees, “Let’s go to your place, then.” Sebastian grins at him, before leaning in for a kiss.

Sam could always just sneak back into his own bedroom in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to [LittleRedWrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRedWrites/pseuds/LittleRedWrites) for looking over parts of this chapter (as well as past chapters) for me, as well as letting me borrow some dares from her fic. <3

**Author's Note:**

> Initially I was just going to do the mom perspectives for this story, but it seemed important to feature the trio, especially when the story deals with their coming out process. (Plus, they're just fun to write!) I did integrate the Abigail & Alex story I wanted to write in the last half of this chapter, as well as the last half the upcoming chapter, so that will no longer be its own story. 
> 
> Also, that 'well everyone likes girls' attitude was me all throughout high school. And most of university. Much like Alex, Abigail helped me have my bisexual awakening, though in a slightly different manner.
> 
> (One last also: the baby hair story happened to my mom when my sister was born.)


End file.
